Say goodnight to 3G.
Around the globe, major network providers are planning on or have already started to sunset their 3G networks in 2022 due mainly to the limited spectrum available for the expansion of 5G, regardless of their customer needs. In the United States, AT&T’s 3G will disappear in February 2022, while T-Mobile’s 3G and the 3G network that was formerly Sprint are also set to leave in 2022. For a full list of 3G shutdowns worldwide, read here.
There were over 2 billion connected IoT devices using cellular in 2021, with a major pain point for these customers being cost: 65 percent of companies using cell for IoT deployment said they end up paying for overages and unused data. Those companies using 3G for IoT deployments will now be forced to either upgrade to 4G or a private non-cellular network, and deal with the high costs associated with both, or switch to a decentralized, affordable wireless network such as Helium.
Decentralization for the Win
For years, centralized telcos have had a stranglehold on the wireless network landscape, leaving IoT users little choice other than to commit to long-term, expensive contracts that leave many users paying for services they don’t need. Major carriers and ISPs have also been notorious for selling customer data and browsing history, almost always without consent.
Private LoRaWAN networks, while providing more privacy, are expensive to set up and run, with the need for infrastructure and hardware. Until recently, IoT users have had limited network options for operating devices and transferring data.
However, without a viable network alternative that can provide widespread global coverage, customers have had nowhere to turn.
Enter Helium.
The People’s Network’s open-source protocol has led to the creation of the world’s largest contiguous wireless network, quite literally built by the people, for the people. The Network provides a secure and cost-effective way for IoT devices to send data to and from the Internet.
The Helium Blockchain upon which the Network is built ensures both complete transparency as well as privacy of users’ data. Additionally, due to Helium’s rapidly-growing coverage (nearly 100K Hotspots have come online in the last 30 days alone, with hundreds of thousands more on order), the need to purchase and deploy network infrastructure is practically eliminated, creating an easy-to-use, efficient, and cost-effective network option for IoT users.
Why Helium?
Key reasons for IoT users to choose Helium over 4G and other private networks include the low cost associated with using the Network as well as the long battery life for devices.
Cost can be broken down into two major areas: hardware and monthly data transfer.
Cost of Hardware
As a whole, LoRa hardware is nearly always going to be cheaper than hardware used for cellular due to, among other things, fewer components needed for a LoRa device (notably, LoRa devices don’t require a SIM card like devices running on cell). The average cost of GPS trackers today is around $100; these can sometimes be cheaper when the user is locked into a contract, but this also means that the user could be stuck paying a premium for solutions and services that they don’t need.
In comparison, high-performing LoRa trackers can be purchased for around $50 without the hassle of a contract. The Helium Network’s fast-growing coverage means that users will not necessarily need to purchase gateways, making it the logical choice for IoT users looking for an affordable network option.
Cost of Monthly Data Transfer
Helium users only pay based on usage. The cost of an IoT device sending data every five minutes on the Helium Network comes out to just over $1 per year. By contrast, the industry average for GPS trackers is around $10 per year per device.
According to LoneStar Tracking CTO Thomas Remmert, one of the company’s most popular use cases on the Helium Network is the tracking of industrial dumpsters. These dumpsters are typically in urban areas where Helium coverage is very strong, and with thousands of dumpsters being tracked, the high costs that would come with the use of cellular trackers would not allow for any profit. However, by utilizing LoRa trackers running on the Helium Network for $1 per year, LoneStar has found an affordable and accurate tracking solution that would be impossible on a cellular network.
Long Battery Life
Cellular IoT devices are notoriously power-hungry and have short battery lives. LoRa devices that operate on the Helium Network, such as the Yabby Edge tracker from Digital Matter, can last up to twelve years on just two AAA batteries, showing a significant increase in performance and low-power consumption.
Who Uses Helium?
With over 380K hotspots in more than 29K cities and 153+ countries around the world, Helium has become the network of choice for both major carriers and up-and-coming solutions providers. Helium’s ever-expanding list of partners currently includes:
ROAMING
- Actility: A worldwide leader in IoT connectivity solutions. Companies using Actility include Volvo Group, Cisco, Accenture, Schneider Electric, and more.
- Senet: A leading provider of cloud-based software and services platforms that enable global connectivity and on-demand network build-outs for the Internet of Things (IoT). Senet customers represent well over one billion transactions processed on the Senet network annually.
5G NETWORK
- DISH: The first major carrier in the telco industry to extend the Helium Network with customers deploying their own 5G CBRS-based Hotspots.
SMART CITY
- City of San José: The first city to officially join the rapidly-growing Helium ecosystem, San José is deploying Helium-compatible Hotspots in order to increase internet access for more than 1300 low-income households.
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
- Helium’s constantly-growing ecosystem of solutions providers and hardware makers includes companies developing use cases for verticals such as Asset Tracking, Smart Cities, Smart Agriculture, Supply Chain/Logistics, Environmental Monitoring, and many more.
Companies such as Barnacle, whose tracker was developed to prevent lost or stolen package deliveries, have made the switch from cellular to the Helium Network. Connor Lewis, Co-Founder and CEO of Barnacle, says that the company chose Helium over cellular because of the affordability, ubiquity, privacy/security, and ease of coverage deployment.
“Network costs associated with Helium are negligible, especially when a large fleet of devices are connected,” said Lewis. “Helium and LoRa also allow areas where most package theft takes place to be blanketed in coverage with only a small handful of Hotspots, making coverage something we rarely need to worry about.”
Lewis went on to praise the ease of coverage deployment for Helium, saying:
“It’s hard to argue with Helium’s exponential growth, especially when that growth is constantly creating even more reliable coverage. It’s especially notable that this coverage can be deployed at a fraction of the cost of traditional network providers.”
Finally, Lewis highlighted the Helium Network’s privacy and security: “There is total encryption from device-to-cloud, with no need to secretly piggyback off of users’ smartphones or in-home devices as gateways.” Lewis noted that Barnacle has big plans in 2022 to utilize Helium for tracking the 620 million packages that are lost or stolen across the U.S. each year.
READ THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE FROM HELIUM WEBSITE HERE AUTHORED BY JACOB SWINN
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